photographer Berenice Abbott - LEE

I first searched Lee Friedlanderm then I found the photographer Engène Gaget, and from Engène I found this photographer Berenice Abbott.  This photo was taken in New York even if I cannot imagine this kind of scene when I think about the city.

My Photos - KO

This was taken at ISO400, f/6.3, and 1/25sec. I love elephants and I love this figurine. 

This was taken at ISO400, f/7.1, and 1/50sec. I like the perspective of the lamp and the different lines within the picture. 

William Eggleston - KO

I liked this photo because of the colors and how at peace the girl seemed. I like how she seems to be a part of the grass and like she belongs there. 

I liked this picture because of its depth and simplicity.  I like how old the sign looks and that it is an advertisement for Wonder Bread, which is very specific to the time period that William Eggleston's photography is known for. 

My photos- Kirila

I took this photo couple of days ago while walking next to the Tiber. I like how the blurry black part acts as a barrier between the actual subject of the photo and the viewer's perception of it.

I also like this photo and how the concrete objects such as the hair and the jacket become a part of a more abstract composition as a whole.

James Nachtwey 2- Kirila

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are

my testimony. The events I have recorded should

not be forgotten and must not be repeated."

Chechnya, 1996 - Ruins of central Grozny



Afghanistan, 1996 - Mourning a brother killed by a Taliban rocket


  

James Nachtwey is perhaps the greatest war photographer alive. Adapting Raleigh’s famous judgment on Henry VIII, one might even say that “if all the patterns and pictures of war photographers were lost to the world, they might be painted to the life from James Nachtway.”
He has covered conflicts and major social issues in more than 30 countries. Here, he talks about all the conflicts and tragedies he covered in last four decades.


2007 TED Prize: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGKZhNK_pHw&feature=player_embedded 

today Nov the 9th-portrait session in largo dei fiorentini

Dear Students, today, the dancer Simona Lisi, will be in Largo dei Fiorentini, for a Portrait photo session

You are invited to partecipate

from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m

Villa Borghese- Alexa

Took this on the way up to the Villa Borghese from the Piazza del Popolo. I loved the way the sun was hitting the side of the statue and I love the shadow the sun leaves in the background. This statue was actually not as large as it seems here, and I think it came out awesome, especially because the angle makes this look larger than life. 

This is my favorite picture I took from the museum at the Villa Borghese. I love the lighting, and I love how real she looks (except for her eyes...those creeped me out) and I think the statue fit in so well with all of the other ones. I like how clear she came out, and even from at different angles, this one came out as my favorite.

This is the last of my favorite shots from our trip to the park. This is from the top of the Piazza del Popolo and I love the sun setting from the background, and I especially adore the bird in the sky. I took this in a sunset-setting, and I love the soft colors it created. 

The Museum - Daantje

These are the shots I took during our last class on November the second. 

As noted by the teacher I tried to take and 'Alive' and 'Dead' shot. In the first photograph I tried to capture something as human as the social meaning of touch. In the second photograph I picked on of the few statues that didn't have irises ingraved, to obtain a more 'absent/dead' image. I also adjusted the colours to add to the  effect. The last shot was more a personal favourite, I adored the sheer texture of the statue and what effect it had with the light in the room. 

My Photo-sarahlynn

The following are two pictures of my favorite statue from the museum.  In the first capture, the girl seems sad and alone, but still partially normal.

 In a different perspective, the girl seems somewhat creepy with the figures in the background seeming to represent the thoughts of the little girl (plus the figures in the background look more like dead souls than live persons).

Street Photography-sarahlynn

After researching the exhibition featuring Lee Friedlander and Diane Arbus, I was amazed by Friedlander's pictures of urban and street photography. After looking into more of the urban photography, I came accross Robert Franks' pictures.

By comparing the photographs of Friedlander and Frank, I can see the influence Frank had on Friedlander. Because Frank's The Americans  was produced before the exhibition I explored, I could see how Friedlander took the direction of Frank and expanded on the idea of showing social issues through everyday photographs.

Ugo Mulas & Robert Frank - Pita

Ugo Mulas was not directly influenced by Robert Frank but his work bears many similarities to that of Frank's. Ugo Mulas was an Italian photographer that was known for his portraits of artists and street photography. Like Frank, he specialized in black and white film photography. I like this picture taken by Mulas because it reminds me of the theme of my photo book, which is hands. 

My Photo - Pita

I took this picture on the walk back from Villa Borghese after class on Wednesday. I increased the ISO and decreased the F-stop. It was taken along the river and I love the way that the light is shining through the leaf and the effect it has on the background. 

Eugène Atget- LEE

This photo was taken some time in 1920 in Paris, Ile-de-France, FR.  I already found that he is the photographer who influenced Lee Friedlander.  I think his photos are not that strange like Friedlander but a little similar so if I just give a glance, I cannot distinguish them.

My photo - LEE

I took this photo in Sicily when I was driving a rented car from Palermo to Taormina.  There is just a mountain and clouds but I really like this photo because it seems like a hand drawing picture, not a photo taken by a camera.

Lee Friedlander - LEE

I chose this photo because it shows many different aspects. The photo is divided into 4 sections, two through the mirror and glass and two others divided by the mirror.

My Photo - Pita

The theme of my poem focuses on hands. Once of my favorite poems is by Sarah Kay and it is called "Hands" In this picture I captured a man putting gelato on a cone. I really like this picture because I captured his hands in motion while he carefully tried to prevent the gelato from falling off of the cone. I also like that you can see his striped apron in the background!

Walker Evans & Robert Frank - Pita

Walker Evans once influenced by the work of Robert Frank. He is best known for his black and white photography done for the Farm Security Association (FSA) which documents the effects of the Great Depression. I especially like this photo because of the contrast between the words and the background and the statement that it send out; the word "damaged" during the time of the Great Depression has a very strong meaning.

Photobook- Kirila

 

These photos are included in the first page of my photobook. I like the combination of the faces and the glimmering light which interrupts the different surfaces. The faces are placed on the right side of each photo and thus, there is a certain direction of appearance and action. The photo on the right appears more flowing, whereas the one on the left somehow reflects more stability. Moreover, both of the photos exhibit plain light and color, which adds to the quite calm and joyous atmosphere.   

James Nachtwey- Kirila

Kosovo, 1999 - Tearing a poster of Milosevic



Alabama, 1994 - Prisoner on
 the chain gang

                                                                       








Born in 1948 in Syracuse, NY, James Nachtwey is a photojournalism respected for his fearless and poignant images of wars, conflicts, and social upheaval. A self-taught photographer, Nachtwey worked for a New Mexico newspaper for four years before moving to New York City, later joining Time. His work appears in numerous international publications. The film War Photographer documents his work.

''I'm not trying to make statements about photography. I'm trying to use photography to make statements about what's happening in the world. I don't want my compositions to be self-conscious.''

This compassion—which is particularly compelling in view of the death, destruction, and inhumanity he has witnessed for more than two decades—has enabled him both to be present at and to record the heart-wrenching moments in personal lives throughout the world.

Piazza Navona- Alexa

I took this picture in Piazza Navona this weekend. I had never been there before this trip and it's such an impressive piazza, I completely fell in love immediately. My favorite part had to be the gorgeous church, and all of the people busily selling things and the tourists that shop there.

The thing I like about this picture is how the statue is off-centered and the beautiful church is right in focus in the background. The picture may be a little too overexposed, but I love it regardless. I wish the sky would have come out clearer instead of it being so white, it would have been nice to have a touch of color in the background. 

I also snapped this picture when I was admiring all of the art they sell in the Piazza. The art they have is incredible and i'm so amazed by how talented some of the artists are, especially the cartoons. I liked this picture because of the burst of color it brought to the piazza. Most of the art is black and white, but this one jumps out at you. Really tempted to go back and buy it for my house.

On site class November Wed the 2nd

Dear students tomorrow we are moving at 14:15 pm towards Villa Borghese.
The meeting point is in Largo dei Fiorentini.



Thanks

 3487148071 my telephone number if you delay

My Photobook - Daantje

As of last wednesday I received my new lens, so I had a field day with my camera. So hereby a new page in my photobook:

During a lazy stroll through Rome, I entered a photography exhibition almost unaware. The photographs showed images of abondened asylums. Scattered throughout the shots were pieces of brick, broke furniture and surely many memories of that what was here a long time ago. An artist once told me as a child that art is one of the most significant traces of a time gone by. With this extrodinary exhibition in mind, I set out to make a photograph that reminded me of the striking eeriness and absence of human life of the photographs I saw. This was the result. 

"attending"; a photograph of a child that dared to sit up front by herself, whilst the orchestra played the most lovely cascades of music. 

A piece of Art never stands on its own - written by Daantje

An essay on the exchange between various forms of art, specified on photography and kubism and minimalism in connection to the artists: Ugo Malas and Alexandre Calder

The inventions and the great discoveries have opened up whole continents to reciprocal communication and interchange, provided we are willing.

-          Ava Myrdal

In my previous posts I discussed the exchange of thought between the artist Ugo  Malas and Alexander, who were both grasped by the sense of simplicity in the arts. Both were heavily influenced by the abstract minimalistic art of Piet Mondriaan who’s influence can be felt throughout bold shapes and especially colours of his work. Alexander Calder, mainly worked in architecture and three-dimensional (street) art. One can say that both were products of their own period and time in the arts.

Just to show the striking resemblance between for instance Alexander Calder and Piet Mondriaan, one should observe the images posted below. The use of highly pigmented and rather simple colours and shapes are quite noticeable. Also, this simplicity translates itself to the work of Ugo Malas.

Of course photography is quite a new medium, compared to mediums such as paintings, sculpture and architecture. Nonetheless, when photography was invented in the 18th century, one could immediately feel its influence in the realm of painting. Most obviously, one can direct their attention to the vast amount of paintings made of ballet performances. In photography, it often happened a foot or another body part was cut of from the picture. This was never the case in painting, due to extremely strict rules on composition and overall taste. However, as we approach the 19th century, people began to break free of artistic dogma’s. Most known figures are for instance van Gogh and Manet etc. Below you can clearly observe an example, in this case a marvelous painting of Degas, of a painting influenced by the new technique of photography;

To truly illustrate the incredibly paradigm shift in the arts in the early 19th century I would like to share the following story with you:

Paris in the beginning of the 1900 up until the 1960, experienced their years of glory in the field of the modern arts. All the artists all over the world all wanted the same thing; to Paris, since that’s where it was all happening. Picasso, Salvador Dali, they all hastened themselves towards Paris. It is no coincidence that now in 2011, we still marvel at that period. Moreover, the new film: ‘midnight in Paris’, concerns itself with a character that goes to contemporary Paris, but dreams of the Paris as it was one hundred years ago, hence the starry sky of van Gogh, that fills the sky:

Everyone wanted to know what was going on in Paris, also the great Piet Mondriaan, the inspiration of Ugo Malas and Alexander Calder. He was incredibly curious about the developments in Paris, most particularly, ‘kubism’. Since in those days they didn’t have internet, the only way he could gather information about it was through friends and acquaintances who went there. The most significant principle of kubism is the desire to paint, on a 2-dimensional item, all the various perspectives of an object or an subject, to make it 3-dimensional almost. He, completely missed the point; Mondriaan set out to make his own version, which of course had nothing to do with kubism, but he thought, if I put down the most weird figures and colours it shall be kubism. Naturally, it was more expressionism than anything else:

He even went a little bit further by painting an object, of which he was convinced: ‘this is kubism’

However, when he eventually did set sail for Paris, he discovered the true spirit of kubism. The most significant piece, that influenced him on his turn was: the violin, by Brague Georges.

You can truly see the various sides of a violin.

Now Mondriaan understood the concept and he made a remake of his painting: ‘stilleven met gemberpot’

 Afterwards, Mondriaan developed himself with the abstract shapes we all know of him.

One can see there's a long line of influencing going on until we finally get to Ugo Malas: Braque Georges - Piet Mondriaan - Alexandre Cadras - Ugo Malas. Of course, this is an ovre simplification and there were many many more artists that inspired one another, but it just goes to show how much everything is interwoven.

We can conclude that we are all part of one great narrative, a narrative of art, of which the literature develops itself in pieces of art, be it sculptures, architecture, paintings or photography. In all, a piece of art never truly stands on its own. The real question becomes, who do you include in your story of art?

* inspiration from: De wereld draait door. 19th of Oktober 2011

New Documents-sarahlynn

To continue my study of the photographers, I chose to examine an exhibition by the Museum of Modern Art in 1967. The exhibition titled "New Documents" contained the photography of two photographers on our list: Diane Arbus and Lee Friedlander. Although the exhibition copies are not able online, the commentary by the curator (John Szarkowski) is. According to Szarkowski, even though Arbus and Friedlander have different photography styles, they held a common belief that the world is worth looking at. The exhibition is where Friedlander came to prominence and was celebrated because it redirected the technique of documentary photography to more personal ends. In particular, Arbus wanted to capture people who were considered misfits in a way that would make them remarkable. Arbus accomplished this through the following picture, where the girls stand out individually instead of being regarded to as one entity: twins.

Unlike Arbus, Friedlander had a greater emotional distance from his subjects. He sought to understand life in order to present it through photography. Although simple in nature, the following picutre shows the artistry of Friedlander through the reflections and emotions of the people represented.

My Photobook Project-sarahlynn

I wanted to share the first narrative of my photobook, entitled "The Journey of Life"

Coming from a small town in the Midwest, I never imagined that one day I would be studying and living in Rome. With the first church in my hometown being built in 1869, the antiquity in Rome continues to amaze me every time I step out of my residence.  To me, Rome itself is a piece of art, and I am just an observer of its magnificence. Through photography, I hope to capture at least a glimpse of the splendor ever present in Rome. With contemplation, photography helps me to look at works of art in a different way so as to explain its meaning through the photograph. In the following collaboration, I hope to link the different aspects of my journey in Rome to the larger journey that is life.

On the most recent page, I wanted to edit the following picture:

First of all, I wanted to fix some of the lines of the picture, namely the closest building on the left and the light reflection on the canal. By rotating the picture, the two lines were fixed. Because my other pictures on the page were black and white, I converted the picture and provided more contrast to counteract the overexposure caused by the sun at the farthest point of the photograph.

My Photobook Project - Joe

This is one of my favorite two pages in my photobook project. (click the image to enlarge it). It is a photo of the carpenter that we visited and I have written a story to go along with the two photographs. The story is below:

"The photography class decided to take a stroll through the Roman neighborhoods one day. We were on a hunt for light and how to best capture it. I guess the sunlight led us right to the front door of this carpenter’s shop. 

This carpenter kindly let us into his small workshop. At first sight, it appeared like chaos. There were chairs hung on the walls, nailed scattered on the floor and tools that your average Joe hasn’t even heard of. A person can walk into this kind of shop and instantly feel like they are a part of the chaos. However, a photographer can walk into this shop and will feel at ease... because they know that photography is turns chaos into beauty. 

The carpenter pulled out an old photo that was captured in the very spot I stood in. This photograph does a wonderful job of capturing the choas in such a beautiful way. In the photo, there is stuff everywhere. But it is the subject - the carpenter himself who brings a certain peace to the image. His smile illuminates the photograph in a way normal light cannot come close to."

William Eggleston - KO

I like what William Eggleston captured in this photo. The everyday life of the average teenage boy at the time. I would venture to guess that this is the boy's first job and from his position in the photograph it appears that he is very eager to be working and focused on doing a good job and performing at the best of his ability: aspects that I feel are characteristic of the time. I like how the sunlight highlights the boys face and hair and his shadow in the background. I also like how sharp this image is.

Paul - KO

This is my photography class boyfriend Paul. He is a good lookin' fella. We met because we both have glasses and apparently that is fun to take pictures of. I like his scarf. 

My Photo - KO

I took this photo this past weekend in Prague. It is St. Nicholas' Cathedral.